Heater for steel ladles



April 13, 1926. 1580,395

' J. C. WOODSON HEATER FOR STEEL LADLES Filed 001;. 6 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 wnmzssss: I INVENTOR M 7 .James awoodson;

Who/5% 4 Q6 4 ATTQRNEY' J. c. WOODSON HEATER FOR-STEEL LADLES A ril 13 1926.

Filed Oct. 6, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR James C.Woodson.

WITNESSES:

v zvfl Patented Apr. 13. 1926.

2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. WOODSON, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EAST PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

HEATER FOR STEEL LADLES.

Application filed October 6, 1922. Serial No. 592,758.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JAMES C. WooDsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mansfield, in the county of Itichland and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Heaters for Steel 'Ladles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical heating apparatus and, particularly, to electric air heaters.

The object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and rugged portable electric heater of relatively large capacity for drying linings of steel ladles.

In practicing my invention, I provide a veitical-ly-extending central supporting member upon which are secured an upper and a lower resistor-supporting member comprising a plurality of radially and laterally extending arms. Slotted refractory insulating members are secured to the arms adjacent the outer ends thereof, and a relatively heavy resistor member extends through the slots and over and between the radial arms. A terminal board for the resistor is mounted on the central support. A lifting hook is secured to the central support at the upper end thereof. Supporting members for the assembled device are secured to the lower resistor-supporting member.

In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, in vertical section, or an electric heater embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of connections of the resistor member.

A central tubular supporting member 10 may comprise a relatively large standard steel pipe of a suitable external diameter and length. Two resistor supporting members 11 and 12, which may be similar castings and have a central portion provided with a plurality of radially-extending arms 13, are provided. Any number of arms 13 may be provided but I have shown each of the members 11 and 12 as embodying a total of thirty-six arms which are integral with the central portion. Integral stiffening webs 14 may be provided and may be of any suitable or desired construction. Each of the members 11 and 12 is secured, in its proper operative position, on the central supporting member 10 by means of a plurality of bolts 15 which extend at substantially right angles to each other through the central portion of the members 11 and 12 and through the central support 10. The members 11 and 12 are located in opposing and suitably spaced-apart relation on the central supporting member 10.

A refractory resistor-supporting insulat-.

ing block 16 is secured against the upper surface of each of the arms of the upper sup-porting memberll and on the lower sur face of each of the arms of the lower supporting member 12 by any suitable means, such as bolts (not shown), openings 17 being provided in each of the arms which register with openings 18 in the refractory blocks to permit of bolts extending therethr-ough to hold the blocks in their proper operative positions on the respective arms 13. Each of the blocks 16 is provided with "an undercut laterally-extending groove 19 through -which a resistor member 21 may extend.

The resistor member 21 may comprise a relatively heavy rod or wire of a suitable resistance material, such as nichrome, and be threaded through the respective slots or grooves 19 and extend between the upper and the lower sets of arms 13. In order to insure that the adjacent convolutions of the resistor member 21 extending between the upper and lower sets of arms shall be spaced apart as far as possible, the upper and the lower set of arms are locatedin offset or staggered positions relatively to each other. Any desired method of interlacing the resistor member 21 or of leading the same, from the upper to the lower arms consecutively may be employed, the main consideration being that the resistor member be so located that the adjacent convolutions will not touch under ordinary conditions of operation.

A terminal board '22 may be secured to the central supporting member 10 adjacent the upper end thereof, and conducting leads a lifting hook or eye 29 is suitably secured,-

her 10, insulating bushings 25 being placed in openings 26, provided in the tubular sup- .porting member immediately above the upper supporting member 11, similar insulating conduits 27 being employed within the tubular supporting member 10 to insulate the leads 23 from the tubular support.

Any suitable or desired size of resistor wire and method of connection of the same may be employed, although I have illustrated, in Fig. 3 of the drawings, a suggested method of connection in which four sections or parts of the total resistor member are connected in parallel-circuit relation to each other and, by a plurality of leads 23, to the terminal members 24.

This type of heater is particularly adapted to the drying out of new linings in relatively large steel ladles, one of which is indicated schematically by the broken line 28 in Fig. 1, and, in order to permit of lifting the heater,

as by means of a bolt 31, to the upper end of the central tubular supporting member 10.

W hen it is desired to dry out the new lining of a steel ladle, the device embodying my invention is either suspended in proper operative position within the steel ladle 28 by a crane, or, if possible, it is placed within the ladle 28, suitable supporting members 82 bein secured a ainstthe under surface of the lower supporting member 12 to permit of supporting the assembled heater, not only in the steel ladle but also on a substantially level surface when not in actual use.

The. hereinbefore-described construction of electric heating member provides a substantially tubular heater which is effective, when suitably energized, to radiate heat directly against the lining of the walls of a steel ladle and to cry out the new lining in a relatively short period of time.

Various modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In an electric heater, in combination, a central supporting member, a plurality of spaced sets of radially-extending secured to said central supporting member, refractory insulating blocks secured to the outer ends of said arms, a resistor member threaded over and between said sets of arms and said insulating blocks and a terminal board for said resistor member supported by and secured to said central supporting member.

2. In an electric heater, in combination, an upright central support, an upper and a lower set of arms supported by said central support and extending radially and laterally thereof in parallel spaced planes, grooved refractory insulating blocks secured to the upper surface of the upper set and to the lower surface of the lower set of arms, and a resistor member extending through the grooves of said insulating blocks and between said sets of arms.

3. In an electric heater, in combination, an upright central support, an upper and a lower set of arms supported by said central support and extending radially and laterally thereof in parallel spaced planes, grooved refractory insulating blocks secured to the upper surface of the upper set and to the lower surface of the lower set of arms, a resistor member extending through the grooves of said insulating blocks and between said sets of arms, and supporting means for said heater secured to said lower set of arms.

4. In a portable electric heater, in combination, a vertically-extending central support, an upper'and a lower set of resistorsupporting members secured on said central support, a resistor member extending over and between said resistor-supporting members to constitutea substantially tubular said heater secured to the upper end of said central support.

5. In a portable electric heater, in combination, a vertically-extending centralsupport, an upper and a lower set of resistorsupporting members secured on said central support, a resistor member-extending over and between said resistor-supporting members to constitute a substantially tubular heating element, means for carrying said heater secured to theupper end of said central support, and supporting means for said heater secured to the lower set of resistorsupporting members.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day ofiSeptp JAMES QWVOOD SON.

heating element, and means for carrying I 

